John Kozij was born in Cerny, Ukraine on September 6th, 1904. He attended school until the age of 13, at which time he went to work as a cow hand, he would herd cattle on the open range close to his village. He also helped his father with the grain crops, the nine acres that they owned were scattered throughout the county. By 1928 there was no work, no money and no room to live. He read an advertisement to “Come to Canada”. In April of 1928 he boarded a ship and one month later set foot on Canadian soil. He arrived in Edmonton on May 11th, 1928 and the next day he began working for the railway. He and several other friends from Ukraine found an abandoned house on a farmer’s field and stayed there for free. In 1930, there was no work to be found in Edmonton. One day while standing in line at the soup kitchen, he ran into one of his friends from the Ukraine who told him about a homestead he had in Blueberry Mountain. He and his friend found jobs for a few farmers in the area. In the summer of 1934 and John built his own house on his homestead. During the winter of 1934 – 1935 he went to work in Jasper at the Relief Camps. In 1937, John had cleared more than twelve acres with just his axe. By 1938, he cleared seven more acres. In the winter of 1939-1940 he cut logs on Government land to build a log bar and granary. Between the years of 1937-1940 he would take orders from people for Moonshine; John kept making moonshine and working his homestead until 1942. In the fall of 1942, he received a letter that said he was to join the Army and obtain his medical check-up immediately. On October 16th, 1942 he received a letter stating he was accepted into the Army. He spent two months in Grande Prairie for his basic training and on December 16th, 1942 he was sent to Shilo, MB to the Artillery Training Camp. On April 4th, 1943 he was sent to England for training on canons and stayed until October 1943; that was when he was sent to Italy to fight on the Front Line. He went on to fight on the Front Line in Italy, France, Belgium and Holland. On May 8th, 1945 he received news that the war was over. While in Holland in 1945 and after the war was over, he met Geertje Lanting. On June 17th, 1945 they became engaged and married on October 25th, 1945. On January 4th, 1946 John arrived back in Canada; his wife arrived on August 29th. In 1955 they bought their first vehicle and in 1960, John added two more bedrooms to the house. In 1963, they got power on the farm. In 1975 they sold the farm in Blueberry Mountain and moved into Spirit River. John was a member of the Spirit River Royal Canadian Legion. John passed away on December 29th, 1994 at the age of 90 and is buried at the Blueberry Mountain Cemetery.
- The Big Bend, 1981, p. 70-75
- Grande Prairie Daily Herald Tribune, 30 December 1994